


you are my muse, my pain and my chemistry

by vivahate



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fix-It, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-05 02:19:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15854211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivahate/pseuds/vivahate
Summary: “Lance.” Keith interrupts, trying hard not to smile. “I’m serious.”“So am I! Apologizing for being sick is like – I dunno, apologizing for being a living human being? Life happens, and it’s not the end of the world. It’s just one date. Was planning on taking you out at least twice a week to make up for all the time we wasted anyway.”Keith cannot contain the dopey smile that breaks across his face at that. “You wanna go on dates with me?”Lance looks at him with narrowed eyes.“There he goes talking nonsense again.” Lance mutters, aligning his cheek with Keith’s, trying to determine his temperature. “Your fever must be acting up again. Should I call Shiro?”





	you are my muse, my pain and my chemistry

“Lance?” Keith asks in a small voice, the effort it takes him to turn over in bed in the direction of the door seemingly enough to drain him of what little energy he had left. Lance’s heart clenches at the sight of his boyfriend so obviously unwell from sickness. Shiro did tell him on his way upstairs that Keith’s been running a fever for the past three days and now it’s apparent to Lance that Keith had considerably played down the extent of his condition over their recent phone conversations, no doubt avoiding video-calls for this exact same reason. The reason, of course, being not wanting to worry his boyfriend.

 

 _Well, too bad_ , Lance thinks haughtily as he makes his way swiftly inside and closes the door behind him, _because I’m mighty worried now anyway_.

 

He masks his nerves behind a gentle smile, crossing to the bed and helping Keith sit up when he sees him struggling.

 

“Yeah.” Lance breathes, voice equally low. Keith rubs tiredly at his eyes, still disgruntled from his slumber, and Lance suspects possibly fever, as his cheeks still possess a glossy red sheen. “I’m here, baby. How are you feeling?”

 

“M’fine.” Keith says, an easy smile parting his lips as he scoots closer to snuggle into Lance’s side. “I meant to get up before your arrival, but I must have fallen asleep...”

 

“Of course you did. You’re crazy if you think I’m letting you go anywhere like this.” Lance mutters, holding the back of his hand against Keith’s forehead, Keith fluttering his eyelashes in response and leaning into the touch. Smiling slightly, Lance pulls his hand away and drops a quick kiss onto the same spot, before saying, “You’re not burning up, which is good, but we still should check your temperature. And you need to take some of this medicine – Shiro’s orders.”

 

Keith makes a face, and Lance barely has enough time to wonder if Shiro’s already tried to have him take some medication, to no avail, before Keith sighs with resignation and mumbles, “Whatever you say.”

 

Before Keith can change his mind, Lance helps him up into a more comfortable position, and retreats briefly to pour an approximate amount of the medicine into a spoon. Turning back towards the bed, he motions for Keith to lean forward, and the latter obeys without protest, opening his mouth and accepting the medication. The taste must be bitter on his tongue, because Keith almost recoils, face twisting with disgust, but Lance holds firm, making sure he swallows all of it.

 

“Good.” Lance praises, putting the bottle and spoon away, and no sooner does he turn back around than he’s being dragged down into the bed.

 

With a surprised yelp, Lance lets himself be pulled into the most tender embrace he’s ever received in his life, face immediately flushing from the close proximity and the feel of Keith’s soft breaths against his neck from where he’s tucked his head into. Struggling to regain some of his composure, Lance nearly misses the words Keith mumbles next, “I’m sorry.”

 

Lance frowns in confusion, pulling away reluctantly despite Keith’s noise of displeasure, to be able to look at the other better.

 

“What do you mean?” Lance asks blankly, searching Keith’s face.

 

Keith’s relaxed expression from before falters.

 

“Sorry for getting sick like this.” Keith says finally, retrieving his hands from where he’s holding onto Lance and placing one against his forehead, a gesture of distress. He carries on, eyes blinking rapidly but straying away from Lance’s direction, “I completely ruined our first date. We’ve been looking forward to this for so long and I –“

 

Lance’s eyes widen a fraction as he attempts to catch Keith’s hands with his own, sputtering. “Woah, woah, woah hold on there. What on Earth are you apologizing for? The fever must have messed with your mullet brain more than I thought.”

 

“Lance.” Keith interrupts, trying hard not to smile. “I’m serious.”

 

“So am I! Apologizing for being sick is like – I dunno, apologizing for being a living human being? Life happens, and it’s not the end of the world. It’s just one date. Was planning on taking you out at least twice a week to make up for all the time we wasted anyway.”

 

Keith cannot contain the dopey smile that breaks across his face at that. “You wanna go on dates with me?”

 

Lance looks at him with narrowed eyes.

 

“There he goes talking nonsense again.” Lance mutters, aligning his cheek with Keith’s, trying to determine his temperature. “Your fever must be acting up again. Should I call Shiro?”

 

“I’m fine.” Keith says, rolling his eyes, “I even took that disgusting medicine Shiro bribed you into giving me and you didn’t hear me complaining.”

 

“Good. Keep it up, sunshine, and you’ll be good in no time.”

 

Keith doesn’t dignify that with a response, but neither does he seem to be too bothered by the pet name, and Lance meticulously files the information away, just as he’s careful to remember everything new that he discovers about his boyfriend. His attention is brought back from his musings as Keith suddenly asks, an unreadable expression on his face.

 

“Do you ever think back on everything that it took for us to get together? And everything that could’ve gone wrong?”

 

Taken aback, Lance shifts away a little on the bed so he can look at Keith, searching for words to say. He covers Keith’s hand with his own, squeezing comfortingly. “I guess. Where is this coming from?”

 

Keith is silent for a moment, thoughtful, before he continues, voice even more pained than before.

 

“I don’t think I’ve regretted anything more than pushing you away back then. And not noticing your pain.” Keith sighs, shrinking away from Lance, gazing up at him with a look that is a mixture of both adoration and deep sorrow. “It wasn’t fair to you and I’ll spend however long it takes making it up to you-”

 

“Keith.” Lance interrupts, dumbfounded and more than a little disconcerted at the turn of their conversation. He leans forward, seeking Keith’s hand. “Can I have a say in this, too?”

 

Keith meets his eyes at last, hesitant and apprehensive, before nodding slowly and grasping Lance’s fingers in return. “Okay.”

“I forgave you a long time ago.” Lance says earnestly, wanting nothing more than to wipe that despondent look from his boyfriend’s face, because this is obviously something that must’ve been bothering him for a while now. “I would not be dating you had I not. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, too. For pushing you away first and not catching on sooner.” Lance draws him closer, a hand on his waist, and Keith comes willingly “You know you gotta spell it out for me when it comes to feelings.”

 

“Right. Cause I’m _so_ good at that.” Keith snorts. “I was so mad with jealousy and frustrated over not knowing how to approach you after being away for so long and I just kept lashing out at you with no good reason until one day you’ve just had it and cornered me and said –“

 

“ _Why are you being mean to me?”_ Lance repeats his own words from months prior, the corners of his mouth curling upwards at the similarly flustered look on present Keith’s face.

 

“And I said _I don’t know_.” Keith shakes his head, closing his eyes briefly. “God it all seems so ridiculous now, when back then I didn’t even know how to cope with any of it.”

 

“Yeah. But if memory serves right,” Lance says pausing meaningfully for emphasis and Keith opens his eyes to peer suspiciously up at him. Lance smiles coyly and pulls Keith closer. “then we started making out right in Red’s hanger so let it be known that you are not half as bad at getting your point across as you might think.”  


“Oh my God!” Keith groans loudly, collapsing sideways, away from Lance, and burying his face into the pillows. He tries to squirm out of reach but Lance seems to be unrelenting with his tight grip as he moves right after Keith with barely contained giggles and insistent kisses that fall on every inch of Keith’s face he can reach. “I cannot believe the stuff you say sometimes!”

 

“It’s the truth! I’m just being honest!”

 

“You’re insufferable!” Keith retorts, though there’s absolutely no heat behind his words as he relents into Lance’s grip, his head falling to rest against Lance’s chest. He feels lightheaded, breathless with laughter and possibly the aftermath of his fever, but his boyfriend’s presence seems to be more than enough to soothe him as they fall into a comfortable silence.

 

“Keith?” Lance says after a while, mouth pressed atop Keith’s head intimately.

 

The serious tone in Lance’s voice perks Keith right up, a wave of mild concern washing over him, but he doesn’t hesitate this time when he covers Lance’s hand with his own and answers, “Yeah?”

 

“We have been through a lot, haven’t we? We deserve to be happy now more than anything.” Lance says and in that moment Keith can swear all of the pain and hardship and exhaustion of the years spent in space can be distinguished on Lance’s face. When Lance turns to face him, though, he still finds it in himself to smile that soft fond smile he reserves for Keith alone, and Keith’s heart _aches_ at the sight. “And I love you and I’d like to think that I know you, Keith. I know how that lovely brain of yours works and I don’t want my boyfriend to keep beating himself up over things that could’ve gone differently in the past. _Trust me_ , I’ve spent more than enough time thinking about that myself. It doesn’t change a thing, only hurts you.”

 

“ _Lance_.” Keith barely chokes out, blinking away sudden tears.

 

“Keith.” Lance echoes, smiling kindly as he brings the other’s knuckles to his lips in a gentle kiss. “Let’s promise each other to try and forgive ourselves for everything we could’ve done differently, alright? Let’s not think of the past. I want us to focus on the future. _Our_ future. What do you say?”

 

Lance lets out a noise of surprise as he’s suddenly met with an armful of boyfriend, Keith having all but flung himself at Lance once he’s finished talking and well, Lance isn’t going to say no to a loving embrace or the feel of warm lips trailing across his jaw and cheeks.

 

Keith pulls away a little, just enough to press another tender kiss to Lance’s lips. “You know, there are days I feel that I don’t deserve you.”

 

“Idiot.” Lance huffs, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He leans forward, cupping Keith’s face in his hands gently and swiping at the dampness of his cheeks with his thumbs. “You’ve got me whether you think you deserve me or not.”

 

“I love you. So much.” Keith says with feeling. He pauses, biting his bottom lip. “Do I tell you that enough?”

 

Lance smiles, shaking his head in disbelief. _This guy,_ honestly..

 

“Of course you do. You have nothing to worry about.” Lance says, and can’t resist remarking with a tinge of playfulness in his voice, “Though it _is_ always nice to hear you say it.”

 

“Good. I’m glad.” Keith says ever stubborn, and Lance chokes back a laugh when he notices that Keith’s barely keeping his eyes open at this point. “I’ll make sure to say it more often then.”

 

With that Keith sinks further into Lance’s embrace, and drifts into sleep moments later, exhaustion finally claiming him. Lance watches him with a fond look on his face, huffing an amused breath and leaning down to smooth dark hair from Keith’s forehead, his touch as light as a feather as he bends down to kiss the warm skin.

 

“You don’t have to do anything, Keith. Just get better soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> i have not watched s7 but i'm low key heartbroken and disappointed over what i've learnt from the spoilers, so this is a coping piece? even though i'll be keeping my distance from the show for the time being... i still can't help loving the characters and k/l,,
> 
> my cartoon blog on tumblr is @kuriapika and i'm @halvagf on twitter if you want to drop by to chat or say hi!


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